Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I really enjoyed the first page of the first chapter of this book. It was spot on. The book goes back and forth between current time and the past and it added to the story to have the present day to contrast to the past. The ending surprised me, as I’m sure the author intended it to do. This is our November book club book and I plan to listen to the audio version before we meet then. Knowing how the books ends, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can catch any clues to the ending during the reread. (BTW, this is not a rated-G read.)

Publisher’s summary:As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.